Lock



E. N. JACOB! 7 2,323,400

July 6, 1943.

LOCK

Filed Jan. 15, 1942 SMMeW Patented July 6, 1943 UNETED STATES rates-rswig-i3? LOCK Edward N. Jacobi,.Milwaukee, Wis, .assignorto Brigg,&,Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis, a-corporation of Delaware Thisinvention relates to locks and refers particularly to key controlledcylinder locks; and this application is a continuation in part of theapplication Serial No. 352,266, filed August 12, 1940.

As is well known, it is now common practice to have the cylinder or acylinder unit consisting of the cylinder and its casing, removablymounted in the mounting member or housing which supports the lock.

Many different schemes have been used in the past for removably securingthe cylinder or cylinder unit in the mounting member. Patent No.1,761,092, issued to W. C. Shinn, June 3, 1930; illustrates one of themore conventional cylinder retaining schemes heretofore in common use.

These earlier retaining devices all have the in-.

herent objection of consisting of at least two separate parts, theretainer per se and its spring.

Also they present rather sharp edged contours to i the edges of theretaining slot or groove in the housing or mounting member, which isundesirable.

The present invention, therefore, has as its object the provision of animproved retaining device for lock cylinders and cylinders units whereinthe functions of the spring and the retainer are performed by a singlemember.

Another object of this invention is to provide a retaining member whichpresents rounded contours to the edges of the retaining slot or groovein the mounting member and which is held clear of the bottom of thegroove in the mounting member to thereby insure smoother and moreagreeable lock action.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the bestmode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lock cylinder equipped with aretainer embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view through the cylinder taken on theplane of the line 2-2 and also through a mounting member in whichthecylinder is disposed; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional View taken through Figure 2on'the plane of'the line Referring now particularly to the accompanyingdrawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the numeral 5designates the cylinder of a conventional cylinder lock, the tumblers ofThe spring retaining member l consists ofa single length of spring wirebent substantially into a loop and having a straight end portion ill bywhich the retaining member is anchored to the cylinder or cylinder unit.

As best shown in Figure 2 the cylinder or cylinder unit has a transversegroove-like chamber I I extending around the major portion of itscircumference but leaving an uninterrupted portion l2. This portion l2of the cylinder has a bore i3 therethrough, the axis of which lies inthe'transverse plane of the groove-like chamber and forms a chord to thecylindrical surface of the cylinder.

The straight end portion Id of the spring retaining member is anchoredin the bore 63 so that theremainder of the retaining member 00 cupiesthe groove-like chamber." In the normal free condition of the springretaining member its medial portion l4 projects out of the groove-likechamber and beyond the periphery of th cylinder.

This projecting portion of the retaining member is received in anannular groove [5 in the mounting member opening to its bore at a pointcontiguous to the groove-like chamber II. The portion [4 thus crossesthe juncture between the cylinder unit and the bore of the mountingmember to hold the cylinder against withdrawal from the bore except upondepression of the retaining member portion [4 into the groove-likechamber ll.

Such depression of the retaining member portion l4 may be effected byinserting a tool 16 through a poke hole I! in the wall of the mountingmember in line with its groove IS. The location of the poke hole I! issuch that the cylinder must be key operated away from its lockedposition to align the portion l4 therewith.

The spring retaining member is designed so that the projecting portion[4 thereof tends to spring outwardly into contact with the bottom of themounting member groove. Contact between the projecting portion l4 andthe bottom of the mounting member groove, however, is prevented by theengagement of a hook l8 bent inwardly from the end of the springretaining member opposite its anchorage with a shoulder or abutment l9formed on the cylinder unit. This hook, therefore, cooperates with theshoulder on the cylinder unit to hold the projecting portion 14 of thespring retaining member clear of the bottom of the mounting membergroove against the tension of the spring retaining member and thusinsures smooth and agreeable lock action.

The engagement of the hook with the shoulder on the cylinder unit innowise interferes with release of the spring retaining member forwithdrawal of the cylinder unit.

It is also to be noted that this construction enables the loop portionof the spring retaining member to be biased under a substantial springtension toward the groove in the mounting member. This is desirable asit prevents accidental displacement of the spring retaining member outof the mounting member groove.

Any endwise forces applied to the cylinder unit and translated intoretracting forces on the retainer by the cam action developed at thepoints where the retainer crosses the junction between the cylinder unitand the mounting member bore thus are rendered incapable of effectingaccidental displacement of the retainer.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing it will be readily apparent that this inventionprovides a novel cylinder retainer having the advantages of combiningthe retaining and spring functions in a single unit and of insuringsmooth and agreeable lock action.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a lock of the character described: a mounting member having a boreand having a groove providing a shoulder accessible from the bore; acylinder unit rotatably mounted in the bore and having a transversechamber opening to the exterior thereof in line with the mounting membergroove and adjacent to the shoulder; a looped spring wire retainingmember having one end portion thereof anchored to the cylinder unit 7and having its remainder biased toward the bottom of the mounting membergroove with parts of the closed portion of the loop lying in thetransverse chamber and at least one other part of the closed portion ofthe loop projecting beyond the cylinder unit into the mounting membergroove to engage behind the shoulder on the mounting member; and a hookon the other end of the spring retaining member engaging with a shoulderon the cylinder unit for holding said part of the closed portion of theloop projecting beyond the cylinder unit clear of the bottom of themounting member groove against the tension of the spring wire retainingmember.

2. In a lock of the character described: a mounting member having abore; a cylinder unit rotatably mounted in the bore, said mountingmember and cylinder unit having contiguous grooves; a ring-like springwire retaining member having one end portion anchored in the cylinderunit and having its remainder biased toward the bottom of the mountingmember groove and lying in the contiguous grooves with a retainerportion thereof crossing the juncture between the bore and the cylinderunit; and interengaging means on the cylinder unit and the other end ofthe spring retaining member for holding said retainer portion clear ofthe bottom of the mounting member groove against the tension of thespring retaining member.

3. In a lock: a cylinder unit having a transverge groove-like chamberopening to the periphery of the cylinder unit throughout the majorportion of its circumference, that part of the cylinder unit lyingbetween the ends of the groovelike chamber having a bore the axis ofwhich forms a chord to the cylindrical wall of the cylinder unit andlies substantially normal to the axis of the cylinder unit; asubstantially ringlike spring wire retaining member disposed in saidgroove-like chamber, said retaining member having one end portionsubstantially straight and received in the bore of the cylinder unit tobe anchored thereby with the remainder of the ringlike member biasedoutwardly in a direction away from the cylinder unit and free to bedepressed inwardly from a normal position at which a medial portionthereof projects out of the groovelike chamber and beyond the peripheryof the cylinder unit; and a hook formed on the other end of thering-like retaining member engaging with a shoulder on the cylinder unitto define the distance to which said medial portion of the retainingmember projects from the groove-like cham-- ber of the cylinder unit.

EDWARD N. J ACOBI.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,525,Lto0. July 6, 19M.

EDWARD N. JAGOBI.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in the abovenumbered patent was erroneously described and specified as"Brigg &Stratton Corporation whereas said name should have been described andspecified as -Briggs 8c Stratton Corporation, as shown by the record ofassignments' in this office; page 2, second column, line 29-50, claim 5,for "transverge read transverse; and that the said Letters Patent shouldbe read with this correction therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of September, A. D. 1%5.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

